Injuries to a British roadworker, who suffered minor burns when a road marking vehicle caught fire and exploded in Bristol, has led to fines for his employer following a recent court hearing.
Neil Higgins from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire was laying road markings with a team at Imperial Park, Hartcliffe, in June of 2013 when the explosion happened, causing him to suffer burns.
The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted Redland Road Marking Ltd at Bristol Magistrates Court in early October of this year.
HSE’s investigation found that gas-heated cauldrons on top of the vehicle were unsuitable for the work because the pipework was not properly connected and the equipment had no flame failure devices. In addition, the pipework had not been fitted by a competent person.
Business Pleads Guilty to Breaching Regulations
Higgins’ employer, Redland Road Marking Ltd, of Hillside Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching work equipment regulations and was fined a little more than $3,200 and ordered to pay some $1,800 in costs.
HSE Principal Inspector Helena Tinton, speaking after the hearing noted, “This is not the first time there has been a fire of this nature on a road marking vehicle and the operators need to ensure that the equipment has been installed by a competent person and regularly maintained. It is a matter of good fortune that nobody died as a result of this incident.”
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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